Well now that we're done with that whole debacle at the Arctic Base it's time to kick up the story. Before we start this chapter lets get the regular review responses out of the way:
Hypercamera3: Thanks again for the support and the encouragement, I'm glad that you've taken interest in my story. You wanted a new chapter and here it is, and I can promise it's only gonna get better from here on out!
AceShadow: Yes, that part doesn't make a lot of sense does it, well that'll get cleared up here, thanks for pointing that out.
Gamewizard2008: It will be in the long run!
After I released the last chapter I got a ton of new favorites and followers so thank you's go out to Jack Cross and ZeinDarkuzss for the favorite and the follow, Penbrook5200 and .10441 for the favorite and hypercamera3 and cyberpheniox for the follow. I'm glad so many people enjoy and support my first story, thank you everyone!
As a side note, this is the first chapter where I actually start using dates in the story. So for continuities sake, I am using the date January 25, 2008 (the date the TV show aired its last episode) as the starting point for all dates on Earth from the KND perspective in this story. Federation dates do not apply.
Ok time to get this started.
"Don't judge a book by it's cover." -Old adult saying
Nigel's Mind
The soot and smoke clouds were back and he was in the air again, great. Nigel turned over so he was floating on his back, at least I know I'm not dead, I'm pretty sure this isn't what the afterlife looks like. Out loud he said, "ok so whats next? Some burning flags? Oh I know, maybe another pep rally." No response came, the ash and soot continued to float through the air, Nigel shrugged and then preceded to pinch himself. "Ow!", he exclaimed, but despite the pain, the clouds of ash persisted.
Nigel huffed, guess I'm stuck in here till this is over, or till someone outside wakes me up. He noticed that he was descending again and turned over to see if he could spot anything. He froze as he finally saw where the smoke had been coming from, rather than a blank plain like last time, this time he was floating over a broken and ruined city. Smoke leaked from gaping holes in the sides of skyscrapers and ash and soot was blown up into the air from the charred remains of a dozen suburbs. Here and there fires still burned and the air hang heavy with silence.
Nigel's feet touched ground and the odd constraining sensation in his legs went away again. Nigel looked around as he tried to gauge his surroundings, he had landed in the middle of a plaza, the same plaza, he realized, from his last dream. He looked up and saw the tattered remains of what had once been a balcony, the same balcony where he and the other boy had stood last time.
Nigel walked towards the building and he was about to try and enter when he was spirited away once more. Now he was on a street in a different city, where a parade was going. He recognized the uniforms of the kid soldiers from his last dream as they marched proudly down the street, rank upon rank, rifles shouldered, in perfect unison. The sides of the road were crowded with other kids and some teens who were cheering and waving, smaller children threw candy at the soldiers, which they caught with much delight. In between the ranks of soldiers, groups of tanks thundered down the road.
The tanks each bore a flag and Nigel once again witnessed the gold banner with it's red and black eagle. The voice started up again, "we had such potential, such promise." The view changed and Nigel was on another battlefield, here he saw clearly, adults and kids locked in brutal combat. The two sides clashed in the center of another city, this one less ruined, but still bearing scars of battle. The voice went on, "but we squandered our gifts and our chance in the fires of war."
Nigel watched as a division of adult tanks vanished under an artillery barrage, and then not two seconds later, the artillery battery that had launched the barrage, was consumed in the fiery explosion of an airstrike. "Once again, blood and iron became the first and only response to human nature. Our hate blinded us from the truth, the truth that we could not win." It was at this point Nigel noticed that this voice sounded far, far different from that of the one before, the last one had been alive with rage and passion. This one sounded more sad and regretful, like an old man recounting the past.
"We could not win", continued the voice, "and we would not give up, and so began a vicious cycle, one made in hell." And with that final narration, Nigel woke up.
Unregistered KND C.O.O.L.B.U.S: 4 Miles Away From the Remains of KND Arctic Base
Nigel awoke feeling cold, an odd feeling considering that the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., like all KND space faring craft, was insulated against the cold of space, a far worse cold than that of the Arctic. Still those final words from his dream haunted the depths of his mind, we could not win... and we could not give up, the comparison to their current situation was all to clear to him. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was lying under what appeared to be a small pile of blankets. Pulling them off, he found that he was still inside the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., which was a bit worse for wear.
Sometime in the crash, a good portion of the ships "legs" had been torn off, leaving some rather large holes in the floor. Besides that, a good portion of the roof was gone, ripped up and peeled away by the force of the crash, he also saw that the ship was upside down. Well at least that explains the cold, he thought. Looking around he saw that he was not alone, Rachel and Numbah 5 were sitting in the middle of the cabin around what looked to be the ship's heating unit. Across the ship's cabin he saw Numbahs 3 and 4 huddled together, sleeping under another small pile of blankets, Numbah 2 was nowhere to be seen.
Weakly, he mumbled, "whats up guys?" Hearing his voice Rachel and Abby turned around, both of them breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank zero your okay", said Rachel, walking over to help him stand. Abby cracked a smile, "I knew you were too thick headed to stay out for long, how's it hanging Nigel?" "Oh you know", he replied, in the same joking manner, "same old same old." He cringed a little as Rachel helped him up, apparently the crash hadn't done anything to help his head injury.
Gingerly, she got him to his feet and helped him over to the heater. "You gave me another scare there soldier, we don't have a medic to treat you this time." The affection in her tone was clear and he smiled at her as they sat down, "don't worry, it'll take more than a little crash to keep me down, we used to do this plenty of times back in the day, right Abby?" Abby couldn't resist laughing, "yeah, fly boy's piloting hasn't improved one bit since you left."
"Hey its not my fault", replied Numbah 2 from somewhere outside the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., "I'd like to see you try flying this old crate through a nuclear sized blast wave." "Numbah 2, where are you?", called out Nigel, "where do you think, I'm outside fixing the ship since no else here seems to have the brains to do it." Abby rolled her eyes, "that crash didn't damage his ego, thats for sure", "I heard that!", yelled Numbah 2.
Nigel couldn't suppress another smile, it was good to know that even after a surviving a deadly crash in the middle of an Arctic wasteland, thousands of miles from civilization, his friends still kept bantering on like they were walking home from school. It reminded him of the good old days, before he'd left. Nigel gave a small sigh and sat back down, "so how long was I out for?" Abby's expression was thoughtful, "I'd say about an hour, hour an half tops", "you call that short!", exclaimed Nigel. Abby shrugged, "by our standards thats nothin, you've been through much worse, remember?"
"Yeah", replied Nigel, "I remember, alright then so whats our situation look like?" Rachel looked grim, "not good, from what Numbah 2 has been telling us, the ship's pretty banged up, he'll be able to get it flying, but for how long and how far, he doesn't know." "Actually", remarked Numbah 2, poking his head through one of the holes in the side of the cabin, "I do; judging by the damage and loss of fuel, I'd say that we'll be lucky to get to North America from here."
Abby shrugged, "okay then why don't we just stop at one of the sectors in South America, get another ship and move on." Rachel shook her head, "no dice, before we left the command center, Schmitt deduced from the last satellite transmissions that the Confederates would have destroyed all treehouses in the Americas and in Europe, theres most likely nothing left." "So why go to North America then?", asked Abby, "because", cut in Numbah 2 from outside, "we have a much greater chance of salvaging something in North America than we do in South America, plus we actually know our way around the country."
"Great", remarked Nigel, "the one place on the Earth thats swarming with Confederates is the one place we have to go, just great." Turning to Abby, he asked, "do we know anything about the other transports? How many others made it out of the base and got to Russia?" Abby shook her head, "we were the last ones out and the radio is totally busted, the war could be over for all we know." "What does it matter", barked Rachel suddenly, "the war was lost the moment we lost the Arctic Base, now that the Moonbase is gone and zero knows whats happened to the deep sea science base, theres nowhere left to go."
"Schmitt will be heading to Moscow", said Abby, "with most of whats left of the KND, if anything we should try and get there as well, theres strength in numbers, right?" Rachel shook her head sadly, "that hasn't worked out for us so far." "Either way", put in Nigel, "if the last of the KND is going to make its stand at Moscow then thats where we need to be." Rachel frowned, "forget it, theres no way I'm walking into that trap again, if we go to Moscow then Schmitts just gonna take over and it'll be just like the Arctic Base all over again, and theres no way I'm gonna to let that lying traitor lead the KND to it's end."
Abby shook her head, "Rachel, we've all been thinking about this just as hard as you have, theres just no way out." "There has to be a way out", shot back Rachel, "come on! The Kids Next Door never quit, remember?" "Yeah!", exclaimed Nigel, "when Grandfather took over the world there was a way out, when Father turned everyone into animals there was a way out, there's always a way out!" Nigel turned to Abby, "check Schmitt's notebook, there has to be something in there." "I already skimmed through it", replied Abby, tossing him the small leather bound book, "nothing but some notes on weapons and equipment and a couple of vague journal entries about his plans to build the fleet." Nigel palmed through the book, she was right, there was nothing. Angrily, he threw the little book to the ground, yelling, "so we went to all that trouble and almost died for nothing!"
Still angry, he sat down roughly and kicked the notebook for good measure. It flew a few feet and smacked against the side of the cabin; a small object fell out of the back. Curious, Nigel went over to the book and picked it up, finding that the thing which had fallen out was a small chain locket that had been concealed inside a hidden pocket. Flipping the locket open, Nigel found that it contained a picture of a young teenage girl, no older than 14, with short brown hair, blue eyes and an innocently cute face. The locket was about the size of his thumb and was very flat, though, as he ran his fingers across the back, he detected a small bump towards the center. He pushed on it and a shaft of bright purple light flew out from the picture on the locket and onto the notebook that was still lying open on the floor.
Looking down, Nigel could now see lines of text, illuminated by the light shining from the locket, text that had been hidden from his eyes before. Experimentally, he clicked the light on and off, finding that the text disappeared whenever he turned it off. He grinned, "well what do you know, that sneak Schmitt wrote the real stuff in invisible ink." "The light coming from that locket must ultraviolet", remarked Rachel, grabbing the locket. She looked at the picture, "I wonder who this is?", "who cares, it may just be Schmitt's sister or something", replied Nigel, "here." He tossed her the book, "read what it says now."
Reading aloud, Rachel started with the first entry,
Logbook Entry #1, August 15 2006 (By current Earth reckoning),
I have successfully gained access to the Kids Next Door, entry was not difficult, the entrance exams here are a cake walk and the PT is a joke, no wonder there are morons like Number 13 running around this organization, this thing practically lets anyone in. What sloppy security, but I digress, KND global command has set me up with a sector CA based in California, what a coincidence, this will make my early work much easier. I have not yet met my teammates but I soon will, I will have time to write much more once I arrive at my new home.
Nobody spoke for a few minutes, then Nigel said, "well he does have a point, I always thought basic training was far to easy." Abby smirked, "this coming from the guy who couldn't even pass the entrance exam..." Rachel looked up, "wait, you never passed your entrance exam?" Nigel threw Abby a fierce scowl, "I'll tell you about it later, keep reading." Rachel shrugged and moved on,
Logbook Entry #2, August 16 2006,
I have finally met my fellow teammates and I'm not to disappointed by what I've seen. There is great potential in all of them, though the youngest could use a bit more work, they will suit my needs perfectly, granted I am able to become sector leader fast enough. It will take time before I am able to find a secure place to set up my communications gear, but I must be on time for my first report to Fleet HighCom, Alexi will get worried if I'm not.
Now on to the true matter at hand, KND technology, I've had more time to study what these kids pass off as "technology" and suffice to say, I am less than impressed. While they have made great strides beyond the ever lacking adults in the fields of transportation and space travel, most KND technology can be summed up in one word: Gadgets. Seriously, I almost feel like I'm in some spy movie, they have so much random crap that it's almost laughable. It seems they put more effort into these pointless gadgets than into actual weaponry, which will only make my job harder. The good news is that their laser weapons are easy enough to tweak, a basic booster module will suffice to add some killing power to those weapons. Though if at all costs I hope to avoid any casualties on both sides, it is always best to plan for all possible situations.
To this extent, I will begin tests to see how modified KND technology fares against what KMC tech we have on record, before moving on to tests against USF level tech. However, I will need a place to conduct my experiments, and I think I know just the place.
"Well that explains a little more", said Rachel, "but it still doesn't answer how we're going to beat the Confederates." "Well", said Abby, "he was saying that he'd need a promotion to do most of the stuff he wanted, he was only promoted a few months ago so read one of the later entries." "Alright", said Rachel, flipping towards the back of the book. "Hmmm, I wonder where he went to test the equipment", Nigel thought aloud, as Rachel started up again,
Logbook Entry #265, January 16, 2009,
Its only be two weeks since the Beach War ended, not the worst conflict I've ever been a part of, but definitely a bad one for the KND. I may go as far as to say this was the KND's worst conflict in recent years, a depressing thought to say the least considering the things Arthurs will do to take this world. It just proves that the KND is still not ready to face the Federation in both war and peace. This organization is still too undeveloped, but I must interfere with their natural development if they are to survive. Too think though, this organization once ruled a global empire and had such steel to put the Directorate to shame, the years have not been kind to them.
But, I digress, the war proves that they can at least handle siege and trench warfare, a particularly bloody type of fighting but an effective one. I'm making a note to begin training the marines with defensive warfare in mind, it should prove handy during the invasion. Now that I finally have the rank I need, construction of the fleet can begin, though I am still meeting with some resistance from those traditionalists. Seriously though, what would you want more, a steel plated, flying battleship or a rusted, tin can covered flying wood log. Ugghh, I think I'll stop until I can write without criticism. As a side note, its hard to believe I've been here for more than I year and I barely miss the Federation. Homesickness, I suppose.
"Well, that was a bit more interesting", said Rachel. "Yeah, but it makes no sense", said Nigel, scratching his head, "the KND has never had a global empire." "Not one that we remember anyway", put in Rachel, "remember, they're still digging up a lot of stuff from the earlier ages, we don't even know everything about the 6th and 5th ages, let alone the 1st and 2nd." "But what was he talking about when he said Directorate?", put in Numbah 1, "thats a new one, we know about the Confederacy and the Federation, but Schmitt has never mentioned anything about a Directorate, so what could that be?"
Rachel shrugged, "you got me, maybe it has something to do with the KND's history, or maybe its another kid faction out in space, I've got no idea." "But, if what he's saying is true", said Abby, "then the Federation obviously knows more about the KND then we do, and you can bet the Confederates know too, so how are we supposed to beat an enemy that outnumbers us, outguns us and out knows us?"
"Well he said we were good enough at defensive combat", said Nigel. "That didn't really help us back at the Arctic Base", shot back Abby, "Rachel how many more entries are there?" "Only four, here this is his last entry." She read aloud the last page:
Logbook Entry #269, July 19, 2009,
I've been getting strange reports from HighCom as of late. Confederate forces have increased their activity beyond the border and have stepped up their recruiting efforts in the outer colonies. I can only assume that they are gearing up for a large offensive, of what kind though I cannot say. The invasion is due to launch in little over a month now, though Alexi has confirmed that Arthurs force will be limited to ACD system runner craft at best, which is good for the KND. Fleet construction has reached medium phases of success, the first fleet has already been formed, though weapon research and development continues.
I must write that it is ironic how much tech I have simply re-introduced to the KND, if they spent as much time studying their history as they did goofing off then they would have won this little squabble with the adults years ago. Though we have a greater chance of winning than before, I cannot let unforeseen variables comprise all I have worked to achieve, therefore I have instituted a series of Omega class contingency plans into fleet protocol to be used in the event that some of those unforeseen problems materialize. I have stashed a complete copy of the list in this notebook for future readers to inspect.
Though it goes against my conscience and my gut, I have included the steps necessary to find the Last Legion in the protocols. Though I swore that they would never again see the light of day on this world, fate may conspire against my wishes. They were a powerful force to be reckoned with in the old days and they would no doubt prove a strong deterrent to any force attacking this world today. I pray though, that it will not come to that.
As a side note, reports on the whereabouts of one Nigel Uno have run dry. Considering the last reports I received about his activities with the Confederates, this is most troubling news. I will have to keep an eye out for any more signs of him, he could cause the Federation many problems in the future. This will most likely be my last entry, to whomever is reading this, you are most likely the KND's last hope for survival, no other reason would compel me to share this journal with anyone, except possibly in the event of my death... I hope it has not come to that. Anyway, good luck.
"Okay, whats a Last Legion?", asked Nigel, "well a legion is sort of like an army", said Abby, "so I guess it's some sort of military force." "I think we have more important questions to ask besides that", said Rachel, "from the way he worded this, I'd guess he was actually there when this Last Legion was put to rest." "But thats impossible", exclaimed Nigel, "if the Legion is so old that it doesn't appear in our history, then Schmitt would have to be over a hundred years old! He might not be as old as us, be he certainly isn't some decaying old man." "I'm not so sure anymore", said Rachel thoughtfully, "from what we've seen so far, I'm starting to question if anything is impossible."
"Well no matter how old he is, it's beside the point", cut in Abby, "according to this, most of the tech he gave us wasn't from the Federation but from past KNDs, even though we've never found any tech like that, so how is that possible?" "It shouldn't be possible", put in Numbah 2, pulling himself inside through one of the holes in the wall. He was dirty, his clothes caked with snow and his hands reeked of oil and grease, "finished fixing the engines by the way", he said with a grin.
Sitting down by the fire he went on, "whenever the archeologists dug up any old KND tech, it was much less advanced than what we have now, so it's impossible for older KNDs to be more advanced than we are now." "He does have a point", said Abby, "according to our history, the 7th age is the first age to master space travel, so how could older KND's possess tech that could benefit the fleet?" "Well, like Rachel said, we don't know everything about our history", pointed out Nigel, "but I do know someone who might have an idea..." "Oh no", cut in Numbah 2, "you don't mean Numbah 101 do you?!" Nigel grimaced, "unfortunately yes, he is the foremost expert on KND history, so it stands to reason he might know something."
"Well then we'll have to find him and ask him", said Rachel, "but first, lets take a look at those contingency plans." On the next the last page in the notebook was a red folder stamped with the words: CONFIDENTIAL- EYES ONLY: FLEET HIGH COMMAND PERSONNEL. She opened the folder and read the contents of the single slip of paper inside:
Contingency Plan Delta Omega #1: In the event that orbital positions are lost, all KND forces are to abandon moonbase and retreat to secondary standby positions on Earth, all KND command personnel are to relocate to Arctic Base HQ to regroup and and reorganize for prolonged planetary siege warfare. All KND ground based anti-orbital defense batteries are to cover the retreat of remaining KND fleet vessels as they retreat to secondary defense positions.
Contingency Plan Delta Omega #2: In the event that Arctic Defense positions and other global defense positions are lost, all remaining KND forces are to retreat to Asia and fortify their positions in and around Moscow. All KND forces are then to prepare for immediate counter attack against hostile forces to secure a effective first line of defense. In the event that surviving numbers make such an offensive untenable, all remaining forces are to dig in and fortify their remaining positions for a prolonged last stand.
Contingency Plan Delta Omega #3: In the event that all remaining defensive measures are untenable, all remaining KND forces are to scatter-retreat from Moscow and regroup at the resting place of the Last Legion. Coordinates are contained within secure file Delta-O195, steps are to be taken to reawaken the legion to supplement remaining KND forces. All forces are to hold out until Project IronWing is completed and ready to activate.
"Whats Project IronWing", asked Rachel, "and how is that supposed to help us win the war?" "Well if it's in the contingency plan, it must be able to help us somehow", said Nigel, "either way, this seems to be a much better plan than what we're doing right now." "According to the file", said Numbah 2, "contingency plans 1 and 2 have already been carried out, so 3 is the last one anyway." "Okay, but if this Last Legion is so powerful then why didn't Schmitt just have us go there in the first place?" "It sounds like he's afraid of something", said Abby, "he really made it sound like awakening this legion was a last ditch option."
"Well, if it can save the KND, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't try it", said Nigel, "what are the coordinates of the resting place?" "Uhhh, we might have a problem there", said Rachel, anxiously, "it doesn't look like he remembered to put the coordinates in the file!" "Oh you've got to be kidding me!", exclaimed Nigel, throwing his hands up in the air, "so how are we supposed to find it then!"
"There might not be any coordinates", said Rachel, "but there is this, check it out, this was written on the back of the paper." She turned it over to reveal another contingency plan: Contingency Plan Delta Omega #4, it read. "Whats it say?", asked Nigel. "Thats the thing", said Rachel, "I can't read it, it's written in some sort of code", "if it's in code, then it's probably some ultra, top secret plan", mused Nigel, "in any case, we don't need another plan right now, this Last Legion sounds like it should do the trick." "Ok", said Rachel, "but how are we supposed to find it?"
"We'll start at the first place we know of", said Nigel, "and thats Numbah 101, if it has to do with KND history, he'll know about it and besides, we might run into Schmitt and one of his cronies along the way who can translate that code." "Alright then, so it's off to America", said Rachel, "Numbah 2 get those engines started, we're leaving and Abby, go wake up Numbah 3 and Numbah 4, they need to know what we've found." The operatives saluted and went to carry out their jobs. As the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. climbed back into the sky once again, Nigel looked back at the smoldering crater of what was once the Arctic Base and unconsciously recalled the last words from his dream: We could not win, and we would not give up.
(1 Hour Ago) South Pacific Ocean: Several Miles North of the Remains of KND Arctic Base
The pilot of Schmitt's S.C.A.M.P.E.R. grappled with his controls, as he threw his ship through a complicated series of loops and corkscrews to evade the missiles on his tail. Around them, the sky was filled with KND and Confederate ships locked in a massive dogfight. While flying out of Antarctica, over the South Pacific, the remains of the KND Arctic garrison had encountered a scout squadron of Confederate fighters, who had immediately called for reinforcements upon sighting the escaping operatives. The sky was alight with missile trails, the flashing bursts of rapid fire lasers and the whooshing sound of flares being ejected.
In the command seat of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., Schmitt gritted his teeth and held on tight to his chair as the ship spun into another vertical corkscrew. "Sir, I can't evade them for much longer!", cried out the pilot, as he wrestled the ship out of its decent. "Sir, we're taking losses, the other captains want to know what the plan is?", called out the coms officer. Schmitt grimaced and said, "order all ships to break formation and scatter, at least some of them should make it through." "Yes sir!", replied the officer, as he too clung to his seat for dear life.
"Admiral, the enemy is blocking our path to Asia, I can't get past them", called out the copilot. "Dammit", swore Schmitt, "break off from the fight and make for North America", "but sir", protested the pilot, "we can't just leave the others!" "Thats an order!", yelled Schmitt, "we can't do anything to help them anyway, its every kid for himself now, so go!" The pilot wanted to resist, but he groaned and pulled away from the battle. "Sir", yelled the com officer, "if I may ask, where are we going?" "Someplace I'd hoped never to see again", replied Schmitt, apprehensively.
Well that was Chapter 12, it took forever for me to make, but I finally got it out. Chapter 13 will hopefully be much shorter, but I can never tell with this story. As always, please take the time to review, comment and favorite. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed.